Multispectral retinal image analysis: a novel non-invasive tool for retinal imaging

• Published in: Eye (London) Vol. 25; no. 12; pp. 1562 - 1569
• Main Authors: Calcagni, A, Gibson, J M, Styles, I B, Claridge, E, Orihuela-Espina, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.12.2011; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/553/2695; 692/698/1688/512/2613/1786; 692/700/1421; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cameras; Clinical Study; Computer Simulation; Female; Fundus Oculi; Hemoglobin; Hemoglobins - analysis; Histology; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Image processing; Laboratory Medicine; Light; Macula Lutea - chemistry; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Models, Biological; Monte Carlo simulation; Ophthalmology; Pharmaceutical Sciences/Technology; Photometry - methods; Pigments; Reference Values; Retina; Retinal Diseases - diagnosis; Retinal Diseases - metabolism; Retinal Pigments - analysis; Software; Surgery; Surgical Oncology; Young Adult; retina; imaging; macular pigment; theoretical models; Monte Carlo simulation; Macula; Image analysis; Theoretical model; Simulation; Pigments; Retina; Ophthalmology
• ISSN: 0950-222X; 1476-5454; 1476-5454
• DOI: 10.1038/eye.2011.202

Purpose To develop a non-invasive method for quantification of blood and pigment distributions across the posterior pole of the fundus from multispectral images using a computer-generated reflectance model of the fundus. Methods A computer model was developed to simulate light interaction with the fundus at different wavelengths. The distribution of macular pigment (MP) and retinal haemoglobins in the fundus was obtained by comparing the model predictions with multispectral image data at each pixel. Fundus images were acquired from 16 healthy subjects from various ethnic backgrounds and parametric maps showing the distribution of MP and of retinal haemoglobins throughout the posterior pole were computed. Results The relative distributions of MP and retinal haemoglobins in the subjects were successfully derived from multispectral images acquired at wavelengths 507, 525, 552, 585, 596, and 611 nm, providing certain conditions were met and eye movement between exposures was minimal. Recovery of other fundus pigments was not feasible and further development of the imaging technique and refinement of the software are necessary to understand the full potential of multispectral retinal image analysis. Conclusion The distributions of MP and retinal haemoglobins obtained in this preliminary investigation are in good agreement with published data on normal subjects. The ongoing development of the imaging system should allow for absolute parameter values to be computed. A further study will investigate subjects with known pathologies to determine the effectiveness of the method as a screening and diagnostic tool.